Method for forming a transversely extensible and retractable necked laminate of non-elastic sheet layers

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a necked laminate and a process for making the laminate. The necked laminate is formed from sheet layers of at least one non-elastic neckable material laminated to at least one non-elastic film defining a longitudinal and transverse dimension wherein the laminate is extensible and retractable in at least one dimension without significantly reducing the breathability and/or liquid barrier properties of the film layer. This laminate extensibility and retractability is the result of striated rugosities in, for instance, the longitudinal dimension of the film layer which enables the necked laminate to have an amount of extensibility and retractability in the transverse dimension. The laminate is made by first partially stretching the non-elastic film layer, attaching a non-elastic neckable layer to form a laminate and then stretching the laminate to neck the laminate and stretch the film to its desired fully stretched configuration.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention is directed to a necked laminate and aprocess for making the laminate. The necked laminate is formed fromsheet layers of at least one non-elastic neckable material laminated toat least one non-elastic film defining a longitudinal and transversedimension wherein the laminate is extensible and retractable in at leastone dimension without significantly reducing the breathability and/orliquid barrier properties of the film layer. This laminate extensibilityand retractability is the result of striated rugosities in, forinstance, the longitudinal dimension of the film layer which enables thenecked laminate to have an amount of extensibility and retractability inthe transverse dimension.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Laminates of film and nonwoven web layers are known to be usefulin personal care absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants,incontinence garments, mattress pads, wipers, feminine care products(e.g. sanitary napkins), in medical applications such as surgical drapesand gowns, facemasks, and wound dressings and wraps, in articles ofclothing or portions thereof including industrial workwear and labcoats, and the like.

[0003] These laminates are made such that the article can be producedwith relatively low cost and are thus disposable after only one or a fewuses. Much research and development continues, however, to achieve“cloth-like” visual and tactile qualities in these articles withoutsacrificing breathability and low cost, while also providing an articlethat is liquid-impermeable. In particular, one disadvantage of sucharticles is that the laminate used to make the article does not “give”like, for instance, a fabric made from cotton, which due to its fiberand yarn structure, has a natural ability to extend and retract. Theseproperties are necessary to allow the article to conform to the user'sbody, thereby feeling and appearing to be more “cloth-like”. One knownsolution to this problem has been to incorporate elastomeric or elasticmaterials into the article. Unfortunately, incorporation of suchmaterials generally results in increased costs due to the more expensivematerials. If breathability is attained by stretching a filled film toform micropores, there are problems associated with maintainingbreathability of filled elastic films since the recovery of the elasticmaterial after stretching generally closes or partially closes themicropores which had been created for breathability.

[0004] Heretofore, to provide laminates with transverse extensibilityand retractability, nonwoven web layers were necked (as defined below)prior to applying an elastomeric sheet made using an elastomeric polymeras described in, for instance, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,545to Morman. Necking of the nonwoven web allowed it to extend in thetransverse direction. Without the elastic sheet attached to the nonwovenweb, however, the laminate would not have significant recovery forceafter the extension.

[0005] Prior art laminates made from non-elastic materials which wereused as, for example, waistband components in articles such as diapers,have been made to be more conformable by first stretching an elasticwaistband, then attaching the laminate to the stretched waistband suchthat when the waistband retracts, it draws in the laminate. A problemwith this design is that the laminate is difficult to gather or bunchand the resulting product has minimal extensibility and retractability.Such bunched laminates are also very difficult to fabricate, have acheap appearance and are uncomfortable when in contact with the body.

[0006] The present invention avoids these and other difficulties byproviding an inexpensive, necked laminate which achieves transverseextensibility and retractability using non-elastic materials withoutcompromising other properties such as breathability, liquid barrierproperties and strength.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention is directed to a necked laminate and aprocess for making the laminate. The necked laminate is formed fromsheet layers of at least one non-elastic neckable material laminated toat least one non-elastic film defining a longitudinal and transversedimension wherein the laminate is extensible and retractable in at leastone dimension without significantly reducing the breathability and/orliquid barrier properties of the film layer. This laminate extensibilityand retractability is the result of striated rugosities in, forinstance, the longitudinal dimension of the film layer which enables thenecked laminate to have an amount of extensibility and retractability inthe transverse dimension. A breathable laminate may be made by firstpartially stretching the non-elastic film layer, attaching a non-elasticneckable layer to form a laminate and then stretching the laminate toneck the laminate and lengthen the film to its desired fully stretchedconfiguration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary process forforming the transversely extensible and retractable necked laminate ofthe present invention.

[0009] FIGS. 2 is a top plan view of the laminate of the presentinvention as it is being necked showing the striated rugosities in thelongitudinal dimension.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the process of FIG. 1 showing thestretching of the non-elastic film layer, attachment of the non-elasticneckable material and the necking of the laminate.

[0011]FIG. 4 is a partially cut-away top plan view of an exemplarypersonal care absorbent article, in this case a diaper, which mayutilize the necked laminate according to the present invention.

[0012]FIG. 5 is a plan view of an exemplary medical article, in thiscase a facemask, which may utilize the necked laminate according to thepresent invention.

[0013]FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an optical photo micrograph (HighResolution Digital Image) of the non-elastic film layer side of alaminate of the present invention showing the striated rugosities.

[0014]FIG. 6a is a top plan view of an optical photo micrograph of theenlarged section of FIG. 6 showing the variation and randomness of thestriated rugosities.

[0015]FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 are cross-sectional optical photo micrographs ofthe laminates of the present invention showing trapezoidal, pleated, andcrenellated striations, respectively.

[0016]FIG. 10 is an oblique view of an optical photo micrograph of aprior art laminate.

[0017]FIGS. 11 and 12 graphically illustrate load versus extensioncurves for various samples.

[0018] FIGS. 14-15 graphically illustrate enlarged curves of load versusextension for various samples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The present invention is directed to a necked laminate and aprocess for making the laminate. The necked laminate is formed fromsheet layers of at least one non-elastic neckable material laminated toat least one non-elastic film defining a longitudinal and transversedimension, wherein the laminate is extensible and retractable in atleast one dimension without significantly reducing the breathabilityand/or liquid barrier properties of the film layer. This laminateextensibility and retractability is the result of striated rugositiesin, for instance, the longitudinal dimension of the film layer whichenable the necked laminate to have an amount of extensibility andretractability in the transverse dimension. The necked laminate is made,for example, by first partially stretching the non-elastic film layer,attaching a non-elastic neckable layer to the film layer to form alaminate, and then stretching the laminate to neck the laminate and tocomplete the stretching/orientation of the film layer to its desiredfully stretched configuration. When a laminate is “fully stretched” itexhibits properties completely sufficient for the intended use, forexample, breathability and tensile strength. As used herein, the term“partially stretched” means that the film and/or laminate is not fullystretched.

[0020] As used herein, the term “neck” or “neck stretch” interchangeablymeans that the laminate is drawn such that it is extended underconditions reducing its width or its transverse dimension by drawing andelongating to increase the length of the fabric. The controlled drawingmay take place under cool temperatures, room temperature or greatertemperatures and is limited to an increase in overall dimension in thedirection being drawn up to the elongation required to break thelaminate, which in most cases is about 1.2 to 1.6 times. When relaxed,the laminate does not retract toward its original longitudinal dimensionor extend to its original transverse dimension, but instead essentiallymaintains its necked dimension. The necking process typically involvesunwinding a sheet from a supply roll and passing it through a brake niproll assembly driven at a given linear speed. A take-up roll or nip,operating at a linear speed higher than the brake nip roll, draws thefabric and generates the tension needed to elongate and neck the fabric.U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,122 issued to Morman, and commonly assigned to theassignee of the present invention, discloses a reversibly neckednonwoven material which may be formed by necking the material, thenheating the necked material, followed by cooling and is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. The heating of the necked materialcauses additional crystallization of the polymer giving it a partialheat set.

[0021] As used herein, the term “neckable material or layer” means anymaterial which can be necked such as a nonwoven, woven, or knittedmaterial. As used herein, the term “necked material” refers to anymaterial which has been drawn in at least one dimension, (e.g.lengthwise), reducing the transverse dimension, (e.g. width), such thatwhen the drawing force is removed, the material can be pulled back toits original width. The necked material has a higher basis weight perunit area than the un-necked material. When the necked material ispulled back to its original un-necked width, it should have about thesame basis weight as the un-necked material. This differs fromstretching/orienting the film layer, during which the film is thinnedand the basis weight is reduced.

[0022] The term “laminate” as used herein means a combination made up ofat least two sheet layers wherein at least one sheet layer is a filmlayer and at least one sheet layer is a layer of neckable material.Also, the term “longitudinal direction” or “LD” means the length of amaterial in the direction in which the material is moving when it isproduced. The “longitudinal dimension” therefore, is the dimension ofthe longitudinal direction. The term “transverse direction” or “TD”means-the width of the material, i.e. a direction generallyperpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Likewise, the “transversedimension” therefore, is the dimension of the transverse direction.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 1, there is schematically illustrated anexemplary process 10 for forming the transversely extensible andretractable necked laminate 2 of the present invention. For all of thefigures, like reference numerals represent the same or equivalentstructure or element. A non-elastic film layer 12 is unwound from afirst supply roll 16 and fed into a stretching means 20 using guiderollers 26. Once in the stretching means 20, the non-elastic film layer12 is partially stretched in a longitudinal direction by stretchingrollers 24 which stretch and thin the film layer 12. Such stretchingusually occurs with little or no necking of the film layer. If thedistance between the rolls is too large, irreversible narrowing of thefilm layer can occur. After partially stretching the film layer 12 andprior to laminating to the neckable material 14, the tension of the filmlayer 12 is only that which is sufficient to keep the layer fromsagging. In other words, it is not necessary to continue stretching filmlayer 12 between the stretching means 20 and laminating means 30. Anon-elastic neckable material 14, likewise is unwound from second supplyroll 18 which rotates in the direction of the arrows associatedtherewith. In an embodiment where partial film stretching is controlledto avoid film necking, matching the film width to the width of theneckable material is facilitated. It should be understood that thenon-elastc neckable material and/or film layer may just as well beformed in-line rather than being pre-made and unwound. Adhesive sprayer34 applies adhesive to the surface of the neckable material 14 which isthen laminated to the film layer 12 using laminating means 30 (e.g. niprolls). The laminate could also be formed by thermal point bonding,sonic welding, point bonding, or the like. The thus formed laminate 2 isthen necked by a necking means 22 (e.g. take-up roll) which may beaccomplished as shown in FIG. 1 wherein the surface speed V₀ oflaminating means 30 is less than the surface speed V₁ of necking means22. As used herein, to say that the laminate has been drawn 1X meansthat surface speed V₀ is equal to surface speed V₁. The “necking draw”,therefore, is the surface speed V₁ divided by surface speed V₀. Further,the distance x between laminating means 30 and necking means 22, must besufficient to allow for necking of the laminate, such that thetransverse dimension of the laminate is less than that of the un-neckedlaminate. As a general rule, the distance x should be at least two timesthe transverse dimension (width) of the laminate. Such necking providesstriated rugosities in the film and/or laminate resulting in transverseextensibility and retractability to the necked laminate 2 and more“cloth-like” aesthetics (e.g. the necked laminate is softer than priorart laminates and looks more like a woven material because of thestriated rugosities). FIG. 3 is essentially the same as FIG. 1 exceptthat it is a perspective view showing the necking of the laminate.

[0024] It is known that stretching and orienting a filled film layercauses micropores to form in the film, but longitudinal striatedrugosities do not typically form in the film layer when stretched. Thefilm layer would instead become physically thinner and may narrowslightly. Further, to then attempt-to elongate the oriented filled filmlayer in the TD could result in tearing when very little force isapplied, which is likely due to tearing along the LD microslits whichhave formed from stretching and orienting the filled film layer. Thepolymer used to make the film, the amount of filler, and how much thefilm was totally drawn affects how much the film can be TD extendedbefore it splits. By necking the laminate, the non-elastic neckablematerial, which is attached to the non-elastic film layer, will neck andbring the non-elastic film layer with it, thereby forming thelongitudinal striated rugosities in the film which allow the film layerto extend and retract in the TD without adversely affecting thebreathability and/or barrier properties of the film. In FIG. 2, thestriated rugosities 28 are shown figuratively in the longitudinaldirection LD of laminate 2 which has been necked in the transversedirection TD. The un-necked transverse dimension 32 is the dimension thelaminate would have but for the necking. The double edged arrowsindicate the extensibility and retractability of the laminate in the TD.As used herein, the term “striated rugosities”, refers to thin, narrowgrooved, or channeled wrinkles in the non-elastic film layer 12 ofnecked laminate. Referring to FIG. 6, the striated rugosities can beshown generally at 28 in the surface of film layer 12′ of sample 6 (inthe Examples below). FIG. 6a is an enlarged view of FIG. 6. As can beseen in these figures, the striated rugosities have a variable andrandom pattern. FIGS. 7-9 are enlarged cross-sectional end views of thelaminate 2 of FIG. 6 at different points along the section showing thevariable striations in film layer 12′ which is attached to neckablematerial 14′. FIG. 7 generally shows a trapezoidal striation 40; FIG. 8generally shows pleats 42; while FIG. 9 generally shows crenellatedstriations 44. As used herein, the term “crenellated” is used as increnellated molding which, according to Webster's Third NewInternational Dictionary, unabridged, copyright 1986, is “a molding of .. . [an] indented pattern common in medieval buildings”. The striatedrugosities actually occur predominantly in the non-elastic film layer,but can be seen through the necked material and give the entire laminatea more cloth-like appearance. If one were to delaminate the film layerfrom the neckable material after necking, the film layer would visuallyretain the striated rugosities while the neckable material would not.The separated film would extend and retract in the TD much like anaccordion. A theory that may be ascribed to this phenomena is that thefilm actually crystallizes and/or plastically deforms to some degreewhen forming the striated rugosities, thereby setting a “memory” intothe film which works to retract the laminate once it has been extended.

[0025] By the term “non-elastic”, what is meant is that the sheet layersare made from polymers that are generally considered to be inelastic. Inother words, use of such inelastic polymers to form the sheet layerswould result in sheet layers which are not elastic. As used herein, theterm “elastic” means any material which, upon application of a biasingforce, is stretchable, that is, elongatable, at least about 60 percent(i.e., to a stretched, biased length which is at least about 160 percentof its relaxed unbiased length), and which will immediately recover atleast 55 percent of its elongation upon release of the stretching,elongating force. By “immediately” what is meant is that the elasticmaterial will behave, for instance, as a rubber band to recover as soonas the elongating force is removed. A hypothetical example would be aone (1) inch sample of a material which is elongatable to at least 1.60inches (4.06 cm) and which, upon being elongated to 1.60 inches (4.06cm) and released, will immediately, i.e. within less than one second,recover to a length of not more than 1.27 inches (3.23 cm). Many elasticmaterials may be elongated by much more than 60 percent, for example,100 percent or more, and many of these will recover to substantiallytheir initial relaxed length, for example, to within 105 percent oftheir initial relaxed length upon release of the stretching force.

[0026] The terms “extensible and retractable” have been chosen todescribe what the laminate made of non-elastic sheet layers of thepresent invention does upon application and removal of a biasing force.Those having skill in the art of elastic materials have conventionallyused the phraseology “stretch and recover” to describe what an elasticmaterial does upon application and removal of a biasing force asdescribed above.

[0027] For purposes of the present invention, wherein the materials usedto form the sheet layers are not elastic, the terminology chosen todescribe the phenomena exhibited by the laminate upon application andremoval of a biasing force is “extensible and retractable”. Thelaminates of the present invention do not stretch as far as that of ahighly elastic material, which can stretch in excess of 500%. In fact,the film portion of the laminate does not actually stretch; instead, thestriated rugosities are essentially temporarily removed when a biasingforce is applied in the transverse direction. If these striatedrugosities are not permanently removed by, for instance, overextendingthe laminate in the transverse dimension or heating the extendedlaminate to impart a “new” memory, the laminate will eventually retractto close to its original dimension. Such a property has heretofore beenunknown in laminates made solely from non-elastic neckable and filmmaterials.

[0028] As used herein, the term “polymer” generally includes, but is notlimited to, homopolymers, copolymers, for example, block, graft, randomand alternating copolymers, terpolymers, etc. and blends andmodifications thereof. Such blends include blends of inelastic polymerswith elastic polymers as long as the elastic polymers are used in such aquantity and composition that the use of these would not render thepolymeric film elastic. Unless otherwise specifically limited, the term“polymer” shall include all possible geometrical configurations of themolecule. These configurations include, but are not limited to,isotactic, syndiotactic and random symmetries.

[0029] The non-elastic film layer 12 can be made from either cast orblown film equipment, can be coextruded and can be embossed if sodesired. The film layer may be made from any suitable non-elasticpolymer composition.

[0030] Such polymers include but are not limited to non-elasticextrudable polymers such as polyolefin or a blend of polyolefins, nylon,polyester and ethylene vinyl alcohol. More particularly, usefulpolyolefins include polypropylene and polyethylene. Other usefulpolymers include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,073 to Sheth,assigned to Exxon Chemical Patents Inc., such as a copolymer ofpolypropylene and low density polyethylene or linear low densitypolyethylene.

[0031] Other useful polymers include those referred to as single sitecatalyzed polymers such as “metallocene” polymers produced according toa metallocene process and which have limited elastic properties. Theterm “metallocene-catalyzed polymers” as used herein includes thosepolymer materials that are produced by the polymerization of at leastethylene using metallocenes or constrained geometry catalysts, a classof organometallic complexes, as catalysts. For example, a commonmetallocene is ferrocene, a complex of a metal between twocyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligands. Metallocene process catalysts includebis(n-butylcyclopentadienyl)titanium dichloride,bis(n-butylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride,bis(cyclopentadienyl)scandium chloride, bis(indenyl)zirconiumdichloride, bis(methylcyclopentadienyl)titanium dichloride,bis(methylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride, cobaltocene,cyclopentadienyltitanium trichloride, ferrocene, hafnocene dichloride,isopropyl(cyclopentadienyl,-1-flourenyl) zirconium dichloride,molybdocene dichloride, nickelocene, niobocene dichloride, ruthenocene,titanocene dichloride, zirconocene chloride hydride, zirconocenedichloride, among others. A more exhaustive list of such compounds isincluded in U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,696 to Rosen et al. and assigned to theDow Chemical Company. Such compounds are also discussed in U.S. Pat.5,064,802 to Stevens et al. and also assigned to Dow.

[0032] Such meptallocmene polymers are available from Exxon ChemicalCompany of Baytown, Tex. under the trade name EXXPOL® for polypropylenebased polymers and EXACT® for polyethylene based polymers. Dow ChemicalCompany of Midland, Mich. has polymers commercially available under thename ENGAGE®. Preferably, the metallocene polymers are selected fromcopolymers of ethylene and 1-butene, copolymers of ethylene and1-hexene, copolymers of ethylene and 1-octene and combinations thereof.For a more detailed description of the metallocene polymers and theprocess for producing same which are useful in the present invention,see commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 774,852 and854,658 first filed on Dec. 27, 1996 in the names of Gwaltney et al.,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In general,the metallocene-derived ethylene-based polymers of the present inventionhave a density of at least 0.900 g/cc.

[0033] The non-elastic film layer may be a multi-layered film layerwhich may include a core layer, or “B” layer, and one or more skinlayers, or “A” layers, on either side or both sides of the core layer.When more than one skin layer is present, is not a requirement that theskin layers be the same. For instance, there may be an A layer and an A′layer. Any of the polymers discussed above are suitable for use as a corlay r of a multi-layered film. Any of the fillers disclosed herein aresuitable for use in any film layer.

[0034] The skin layer will typically include extrudable thermoplasticpolymers and/or additives which provide specialized properties to thenon-elastic film layer. Thus, the skin layer may be made from polymerswhich provide such properties as antimicrobial, barrier, water vaportransmission, adhesion and/or antiblocking properties. The polymers arethus chosen for the particular attributes desired. Examples of possiblepolymers that may be used alone or in combination include homopolymers,copolymers and blends of polyolefins as well as ethylene vinyl acetate(EVA), ethylene ethyl acrylate (EEA), ethylene acrylic acid (EM),ethylene methyl acrylate (EMA), ethylene butyl acrylate (EBA), polyester(PET), nylon (PA), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polystyrene (PS);polyurethane (PU), and olefinic thermoplastic elastomers which aremultistep reactor products wherein an amorphous ethylene propylenerandom copolymer is molecularly dispersed in a predominatelysemicrystalline high polypropylene monomer/low ethylene monomercontinuous matrix. The skin layer can be formed of any semicrystallineor amorphous polymer, including one that is elastic. However, the skinlayer is generally a polyolefin such as polyethylene, polypropylene,polybutylene or a ethylene-propylene copolymer, but may also be whollyor partly polyamide such as nylon, polyester such as polyethyleneterephthalate, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyacrylate such as poly(methylmethacrylate)(only in blends) and the like, and blends thereof.

[0035] The non-elastic film layers of the present invention can be madefrom breathable or non-breathable materials. The non-elastic film layermay contain such fillers as micropore developing fillers, e.g. calciumcarbonate; opacifying agents, e.g. titanium dioxide; and antiblockadditives, e.g. diatomaceous earth.

[0036] Fillers may be incorporated for developing micropores duringorientation of the non-elastic film layer resulting in breathable films.Once the particle-filled film has been formed, it is then eitherstretched or crushed to create pathways through the film layer.Generally, to qualify as being “breathable” for the present invention,the resultant laminate should have a water vapor transmission rate(WVTR) of at least about 250 g/m²/24 hours as may be measured by a testmethod as described below. Preferably, the laminate will have a WVTR ofat least about 1000 g/m²/24 hours.

[0037] As used herein, a “micropore developing filler” is meant toinclude particulates and other forms of materials which can be added tothe polymer and which will not chemically interfere with or adverselyaffect the extruded film but are able to be uniformly dispersedthroughout the film layer. Generally, the micropore developing fillerswill be in particulate form and usually will have somewhat of aspherical shape with average particle sizes in the range of about 0.5 toabout 8 microns. The non-elastic film layer will usually contain atleast about 20 volume percent, preferably about 20 to about 45 volumepercent, of micropore developing filler based upon the total volume ofthe film layer. X Both organic and inorganic micropore developingfillers are contemplated to be within the scope of thepresent-invention-provided that they do not interfere with the filmformation process, the breathability of the resultant non-elastic filmlayer, the liquid barrier properties of the film layer or its ability tobond to another sheet layer.

[0038] Examples of micropore developing fillers include calciumcarbonate (CaCO₃), various kinds of clay, silica (SiO₂), alumina, bariumsulfate, sodium carbonate, talc, magnesium sulfate, titanium dioxide,zeolites, aluminum sulfate, cellulose-type powders, diatomaceous earth,magnesium sulfate, magnesium carbonate, barium carbonate, kaolin, mica,carbon, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, aluminum hydroxide, pulp powder,wood powder, cellulose derivative, polymer particles, chitin and chitinderivatives. The micropore developing filler particles may optionally becoated with a fatty acid, such as stearic acid, or a larger chain fattyacid than starch such as behenic acid, which may facilitate the freeflow of the particles (in bulk) and their ease of dispersion into thepolymer matrix. Silica-containing fillers may also be present in aneffective amount to provide antiblocking properties.

[0039] The non-elastic neckable material of the present invention isair-permeable. Such non-elastic neckable materials include nonwovenwebs, woven materials and knitted materials. As used herein, the term “nnw v n fabric or w b” means a web having a structure of individualfibers or threads which are interlaid, but not in an identifiable manneras in a knitted fabric. Nonwoven fabrics or webs have been formed frommany processes, for example, bonded carded web processes, meltblowingprocesses and spunbonding processes. The basis weight of nonwovenfabrics is usually expressed in ounces of material per square yard (osy)or grams per square meter (gsm) and the fiber diameters useful areusually expressed in microns. (Note that to convert from osy to gsm,multiply osy by 33.91). The non-elastic neckable material of the presentinvention has a basis weight of 5 to 90 gsm, preferably 10 to 90 gsm,more preferably 20 to 60 gsm.

[0040] The non-elastic neckable material is preferably formed from atleast one member selected from fibers and filaments of inelasticpolymers. Such polymers include polyesters, for example, polyethyleneterephthalate, polyolefins, for example, polyethylene and polypropylene,polyamides, for example, nylon 6 and nylon 66. These fibers or filamentsare used alone or in a mixture of two or more thereof.

[0041] Suitable fibers for forming the neckable material 14 includenatural and synthetic fibers as well as bicomponent, multi-component,and shaped polymer fibers. A plurality of neckable materials may also beused according to the present invention. Examples of such materials caninclude, for example, spunbond/meltblown composites andspunbond/meltblown/spunbond composites such as are taught in Brock etal., U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety. Neckable materials may also be formed from “coform” asdescribed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,324 to Anderson etal.

[0042] As used herein, the term “spunbonded fibers” refers to smalldiameter fibers which are formed by extruding through one or moreextruders attached to one or more banks made up of at least transferpiping and spinplates to produce molten thermoplastic material asfilaments from a plurality of fine, usually circular, capillaries in aspinneret with the diameter of the extruded filaments then being rapidlyreduced as by, for example, in Appel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563;Matsuki, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,817; Dorschner et al., U.S. Pat.No. 3,692,618; Kinney, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,338,992 and 3,341,394; Hartman,U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,763; and Dobo et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,615.Spunbond fibers are generally not tacky when they are deposited onto acollecting surface. Spunbond fibers are generally continuous and haveaverage diameters (from a sample of at least 10) larger than 7 microns,more frequently, between about 10 and 40 microns. The resulting matt offibers is then bonded to form a strong neckable fabric. This bonding maybe performed by ultrasonic bonding, chemical bonding, adhesive bonding,thermal bonding, needle punching, hydroentangling and the like.

[0043] As used herein the term “meltblown fibers” means fibers formed byextruding a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of fine,usually circular, die capillaries as molten threads or filaments intoconverging high velocity, usually hot, gas (e.g. air); streams whichattenuate the filaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce theirdiameter, which may be to microfiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblownfibers are carried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited ona collecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblownfibers. Such a process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.3,849,241 to Butin et al. Meltblown fibers are microfibers which may becontinuous or discontinuous, and are generally smaller than 20 micronsin average diameter.

[0044] As used herein the term “microfibers” means small diameter fibershaving an average diameter not greater than about 75 microns, forexample, having an average diameter of from about 0.5 microns to about50 microns, more particularly, about 2 microns to about 40 microns.Another frequently used expression of fiber diameter is denier, which isdefined as grams per 9000 meters of a fiber and may be calculated asfiber diameter (in microns) squared, multiplied by the polymer densityin grams/cc, multiplied by 0.00707. For the same polymer, a lower denierindicates a finer fiber and a higher denier indicates a thicker orheavier fiber. For example, the diameter of a polypropylene fiber givenas 15 microns may be converted to denier by squaring, multiplying theresult by 0.89 g/cc and multiplying by 0.00707. Thus, a 15 micronpolypropylene fiber has a denier of about 1.42 (15²×0.89×0.00707=1.415).Outside the United States the unit of measurement is more commonly the“t x”, which is defined as the grams per kilometer of fiber. Tex may becalculated as denier/9.

[0045] Many polyolefins are available for fiber production according tothe present invention, for example, fiber forming polypropylenes includeExxon Chemical Company's Escorene® PD 3445 polypropylene and HimontChemical Company's PF-304. Polyethylenes such as Dow Chemical's ASPUN®6811A linear low density polyethylene, 2553 LLDPE and 25355 and 12350high density polyethylene are also suitable polymers. The polyethyleneshave melt flow rates of about 26, 40, 25 and 12, respectively. Manyother polyolefins are commercially available.

[0046] The nonwoven web layer may be bonded to impart a discrete bondpattern with a prescribed bond surface area. This is known as thermalpoint bonding. “Thermal p int. bonding” involves passing a web of fibersto be bonded between a heated calender or patterned roll and an anvilroll. The calender roll is patterned so that the entire neckablematerial is not bonded across its entire surface. In fact, this featureis very important for necking of neckable materials as described herein.If too much bond area is present on the neckable material, it will breakbefore it necks. If there is not enough bond area, then the neckablematerial will pull apart. Typically, the percent bonding area useful inthe present invention ranges from around 5% to around 40% of the area ofthe neckable material. Many patterns for calender rolls have beendeveloped. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, bond areapercentages are, of necessity, described in approximations or rangessince bond pins are normally tapered and wear down over time. As thoseskilled in the art will also recognize, references to “pins/in.²” and“bonds/in.²” are somewhat interchangeable since the pins will createbonds in the substrate in essentially the same sizes and surfacerelationship as the pins on the roll. There are a number of discretebond patterns which may be used. See, for example, Brock et al., U.S.Pat. No. 4,041,203. One example of a pattern has points and is theHansen Pennings or “H&P” pattern with about 200 bonds/square inch astaught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,046 to Hansen and Pennings. The H&Ppattern has square point or pin bonding areas wherein each pin may havea side dimension of 0.038 inches (0.965 mm), for example, resulting in apattern having a bonded area of about 30%. Another typical point bondingpattern is the expanded Hansen and Pennings or “EHP” bond pattern whichproduces a bond area of about 15% to 18% which may have a square pinhaving a side dimension of 0.037 inches (0.94 mm), for example, and apin density of about 100 pins/in². Another typical point bonding patterndesignated “714” has square pin bonding areas wherein each pin may havea side dimension of 0.023 inches, for example, for a bond area of 15% to20% and about 270 pins/in². Other common patterns include a “Ramisch”diamond pattern with repeating diamonds having a bond area of 8% to 14%and 52 pins/in.², a HDD pattern, which comprises point bonds havingabout 460 pins/in.² for a bond area of about 15% to about 23%, as wellas a wire weave pattern looking as the name suggests, e.g. like a windowscreen and having a bond area of 15% to 20% and 302 bonds/in.². Anotherbond pattern for a spunbond facing web is a “S” weave pattern asdescribed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,742 to McCormack etal. which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0047] Laminating the film layer to the neckable material to form thelaminate of the present invention may occur by typical methods known inthe art including adhesive bonding, point bonding, thermal pointbonding, and sonic welding. The use of inelastic and/or elasticadhesives for the adhesive bonding is contemplated herein. As discussedin more detail below, the use of an elastic adhesive has not been foundto impact ease of extensibility. When the file layer and neckablematerial are bonded through the use of heat and/or pressure, laminatingmeans 30 (FIG. 1) such as laminating rollers may be used. The laminatingrollers may be heated and point bonding may be used. The temperature atwhich the laminating rollers are heated depends on the properties of thefilm and or neckable material but is usually in the range of 200-275° F.(93-135° C.). The laminating rollers may each be smooth or patterned orone roll may be smooth while the other roll is patterned. If one of therolls is patterned it will create a discrete bond palt m with aprescribed bond surface area for the resultant necked laminate 2.

[0048] Also contemplated by the present invention is the attachment of asecond neckable material, which may be simply unwound and laminated tothe partially stretched film, the necked laminate, or the partiallynecked laminate as described above or formed directly in-line of theprocess. Such three layer laminates are particularly useful in medicaland industrial protective garment applications. Similarly, other filmlayers or partially stretched film layers may be combined.

[0049] As has been stated previously, the necked laminate 2 may be usedin a wide variety of applications, including personal care absorbentarticles or garments such as diapers, training pants, incontinencedevices and feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins. Thelaminates resulting from the present invention are preferably moreconformable to the body of the wearer resulting in better fit andcomfort. An exemplary article 80, a diaper, is shown in FIG. 4.Referring to FIG. 4, most such personal care absorbent articles 80include a liquid permeable top sheet or liner 82, a back sheet oroutercover 84 and an absorbent core 86 disposed between and contained bythe top sheet 82 and back sheet 84. Articles 80, such as diapers, mayalso include some type of fastening means 88 such as adhesive fasteningtapes or mechanical hook and loop type fasteners to maintain the garmentin place on the wearer.

[0050] The necked laminate 2 may be used to form various portions of thearticle including, but not limited to the back sheet 84. When using thenecked laminate as back sheet 84, it is usually advantageous to placethe nonwoven side facing out away from the wearer. In addition, in suchembodiments it may be possible to utilize the nonwoven portion of thenecked laminate as the loop portion of the hook and loop combination offastening means 88.

[0051] As the necked laminate has TD extensibility and retractability,the elastic waistband 90 can be attached/incorporated in a non-stretchedconfiguration during diaper production, significantly simplifying theconverting process. The resulting waistband will also stretch, recover,and seal around the baby's waist much better. Necked laminates of thepresent invention are equally useful in articles used in medicalapplications. Referring to FIG. 5, the necked laminate 2 has beenutilized to form an exemplary article useful in medical applications, inthis case a facemask 60.

[0052] Yet another exemplary article is a garment such as a lab coat orworkwear. One particularly bothersome aspect of use of the prior artnon-elastic laminate is the lack of “give” as discussed above. This canbe best understood in the context of bending a laminate-clad elbow. Ifthe prior art laminate was used to create the garment, when the elbowbends, the material tightens around the elbow which may cause thematerial to tear or at the very least cause discomfort to the wearer. Ifthe garment were to be made of a necked laminate of the presentinvention, however, the material will “give” when the elbow bends andafterwards tend to return to its prior form. The laminate would notrecover with a strong force but very gently so comfort could bemaintained.

[0053] One advantage of using necked laminate 2 in such applications isthat the articles will be more “cloth-like” in both appearance and feel.Additionally, the transverse extensibility and retractability will allowthe article to more closely conform to the body of the wearer.

[0054] The necked laminate of the present invention is able to maintainproperties such as strength, hydrohead and breathability while gettingimprovements in “cloth-like” characteristics such as conformability andtransverse extensibility and retractability. The advantages and othercharacteristics of the present invention are best illustrated by thefollowing examples.

EXAMPLES

[0055] Samples of the present invention were prepared as describedbelow. The samples were then subjected to the following tests:

[0056] Tensile Test: The tensile test measured strength and elongationor strain of a fabric when subjected to unidirectional stress accordingto ASTM Standard Test D 5034-95, as well as Federal Test MethodsStandard No. 191A Method 5102-78. This test measured the strength inpounds and percent stretch while elongating the sample until it broke.Higher numbers indicate a stronger and/or more stretchable fabric,respectively. The term “peak load” means the maximum load or force,expressed in pounds, requir d to elongate a sample to break or rupturein a tensile test. The term “strain” or “percent stretch” means theincrease in length of a sample during a tensile test expressed as apercentage. Values for peak load and strain at peak load were obtainedusing a width of fabric of 3×6 in. (76×152 mm), a 3 in. (76 mm) clampwidth, a gauge length of 3 in. (76 mm), and a constant rate of extensionof 12 inches/min. (305 mm/min.), where the entire sample width wasgripped in the clamps. The specimen was clamped, for example, in an 1130Instron, available from the Instron Corporation, or a Thwing-AlbertModel INTELLECT II available from the Thwing-Albert Instrument Co.,10960 Dutton Rd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19154, and the unit was zeroed,balanced and calibrated according to the standard procedure.

[0057] Breathability Test: The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) forthe sample materials was calculated generally in accordance with thefollowing test method in order to measure the breathability of thesamples. The test procedure establishes a means to determine thenormalized rate of water vapor transmission through solid and porousfilms, nonwoven materials, and other materials while under steady stateconditions. The material to be evaluated is sealed to the top of a cupof water and placed in a temperature-controlled environment. Evaporationof water in the cup results in a relatively higher vapor pressure insidethe cup than the vapor pressure of the environment outside of the cup.This difference in vapor pressure causes the vapor inside the cup toflow through the test material to the outside of the cup. The rate ofthis flow is dependent upon the permeability of the test material sealedto the top of the cup. The difference between the beginning and endingcup weights is used to calculate the water vapor transmission rate.

[0058] In particular, circular samples measuring three inches indiameter were cut from each of the test materials and a control whichwas a piece of CELGARD® 2500 film from Hoechst Celanese Corporation.CELGARD® 2500 film is a microporous polypropylene film. The test dishwas a 68-1 Vapometer cup distributed by Thwing-Albert Instrument Companyof Philadelphia, Pa. One hundred milliliters of water were poured intoeach Vapometer cup and individual samples of the test materials andcontrol material were placed across the open tops of the individualcups. A rubber gasket and metal ring (fitted to the cup) were placedover the sample and clamped using metal clamps. The sample test materialand control material were exposed to room temperature over a 6.5centimeter diameter circle, having an exposed area of approximately33.17 square centimeters. The cups were placed in an oven at about 38°C. (100° F.), long enough for the cups to reach thermal equilibrium. Thecups were removed from the oven, weighed, and replaced in the oven. Theoven was a constant temperature oven with external air circulatingthrough it to prevent water vapor accumulation inside. A suitable forcedair oven is, for example, a Blue M Power-O-Matic 60 oven distributed byBlue M. Electric Company of Blue Ispeak, Ill. After 24 hours, the cupswere removed from the oven and weighed again. The preliminary test watervapor transmission rate values were calculated with Equation (I) below:

APP MVT=(grams weight loss over 24 hours)×7571/24 expressed in g/m²/24hours  (I)

[0059] Approximate moisture vapor transfer is designated by “APP MVT”.Under the predetermined set conditions of about 38° C. (100° F.) andambient relative humidity, the WVTR for the CELGARD® 2500 control hasbeen defined to be 5000 grams per square meter for 24 hours.Accordingly, the control sample was run with each test and thepreliminary test values were corrected to set conditions using Equation(II) below:

WVTR=(Test WVTR/control WVTR)×(5000 g/m²/24 hours)  (II)

[0060] Hydrohead: A measure of the liquid barrier properties of a fabricis the hydrohead test. The hydrohead test determines the height of water(in centimeters) which the fabric will support before a predeterminedamount of liquid passes through, usually 3 drops. A fabric with a higherhydrohead reading has a greater barrier to liquid penetration than afabric with a lower hydrohead. The hydrohead test is performed accordingto Federal Test Standard 191A, Method 5514 using a Textest FX-3000Hydrostatic Head Tester available from Marlo Industries, Inc., P.O. Box1071, Concord, N.C. A circular head having an inner circumference of 26cm was used to clamp down the sample.

[0061] % Theoretical Extensibility: The % Theoretical Extensibility isthe amount of extensibility and retractability that can be expected fornecked laminates of the present invention, based upon how much theoriginal width is reduced and assuming the original laminate has noinherent extensibility. In the following equations, original width isthe un-necked width (transverse dimension) of the laminate, while neckedwidth is the width of the laminate after necking. % TheoreticalExtensibility can be determined as follows:

% Theoretical Extensibility=100×[(original width−necked width)÷neckedwidth]

which can be rewritten as:

% Theoretical Extensibility=100×[(original width−necked width)−1]

[0062] The % of the original width that the laminate is necked can berepresented by the following equation:

% original width=100×(necked width÷original width)

[0063] which can be rewritten as:

(original width÷necked width)=100÷% original width

[0064] Substituting this equation into % Theoretical Extensibilityabove:

% Theoretical Extensibility=100×[(100÷% original width)−1]

[0065] So, for each sample below, the original width was measured, aswas the necked width, and % Theoretical Extensibility was calculated asshown below in Table 3.

[0066] Permanent Set: The permanent set test measures the degree ofretractability of a material after being stretched to a specific length.Generally, the greater the permanent set value, the less retractable thesample is. After the laminate was produced and wound onto a roll,indelible ink was used to mark a 2 in. (5.08 cm) wide strip of materialin the transverse dimension. After the laminate was unwound, a samplearea 3 in. (7.62 cm) (LD)×4.5 in. (11.43 cm) (TD) was cut out of thelaminate to include the marked-off area. Each sample was placed betweentwo 3 in. (7.62 cm) wide jaws. The jaws were separated a distance of 2in. (5.08 cm) apart and the jaws were clamped on the marks that werepreviously made on the material. The samples were then elongated aspecified amount, 90% or 1.8 in. (4.57 cm), and allowed to retract. Theelongation was recorded when the force during retraction reached 25grams. The permanent set was calculated as follows:

[0067] Permanent set=distance between the jaws when the resistance ofthe laminate equaled 25 grams_(force)−initial length=×(in.)−2(in.)=×(cm)−5.08 (cm).

[0068] Three repetitions were performed and the average valueis-represented in the examples below.

Example 1

[0069] A necked laminate was prepared from a non-elastic film layer anda non-elastic nonwoven web layer. A 1.5 mil layer of blown film made of48% by weight (25 volume percent) SUPERCOAT calcium carbonate asmanufactured by English China Clay America, Inc. of Sylacauga, Ala., 47%by weight (68 volume percent) linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)available under the trade designation DOWLEX NG3347A as manufactured bythe Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”), 5% by weight (7 volume percent) lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE) available under the trade designation 640Ias manufactured by Dow, and 2000 ppm antioxidant stabilizer availableunder the trade designation B900 as manufactured by Ciba SpecialtiesCompany of Tarrytown, N.Y. The film layer, made of the composition asdescribed above, was pre-made and wound onto a roll. To make this filmlayer highly breathable, it should be stretched over about 4X (4 timesits original length). The film layer was then unwound from a film unwindunit into a conventional machine direction orienter, such as thatmanufactured by the Marshall and Williams Company, where it waspartially stretched as shown in Table 1 below (stretching draw) in themachine direction to form a partially stretched, breathable film layer.Likewise, a 0.4 osy basis weight standard polypropylene spunbond havinga wireweave bond pattern, such as that available from the Kimberly-ClarkCorporation of Dallas, Tex., was unwound and an adhesive of 3 gsm weight(at the application point) available as H2525A from Ato-Findley ofWauwatosa, Wis. was applied to one surface of the nonwoven web layerusing an air assisted spraying device such as a meltblown device asdescribed in Butin et al., supra. Such devices are generally describedin, for example, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,668 to Heindel etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,109 to Miller et al., assigned to NordsonCorporation; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,219 to Allen et al., assigned toJ&M Laboratories, Inc.

[0070] The adhesive side of the nonwoven web layer was then laminated tothe partially stretched film layer using laminating rollers at apressure of 30 pli (5.4 kg/linear cm) of a smooth resilient (rubbercoated) anvil roll on one side and a smooth, unheated steel roll.

[0071] The laminate was then stretched in the longitudinal dimension andnecked in the transverse dimension by passing it through a stretch nipat a greater speed than the speed of the laminating rollers (see Table 1below—the Laminate Necking Draw column). The necking draw causedcontraction (necking) of the laminate in the transverse direction. Thelaminating rollers were spaced about 8 feet (2.4 m) from the stretchnip. “Total draw” in Table 1 is the necking draw multiplied by thestretching draw and was sufficient to insure enough orientation orstretching of the film layer to make it highly breathable. The thusformed transversely extensible and retractable necked laminate was thenwound onto a roll. Samples were cut from the necked laminate andsubjected to tests, the results of which are reported below in Table 1.Samples C1 and C2 are comparative (baseline) examples wherein the filmlayer was stretched as indicated, but the laminate was not necked. FIG.10 shows an oblique image of a prior art laminate of Sample C1, whereinthe film layer 12 was fully stretched prior to lamination to theneckable material 14 to form the laminate, which was not subsequentlynecked. Sample 8 was a repeat of Sample 7. “Peak strain” is the strainat “peak load”. TABLE 1 LD LD TD Film Laminate WVTR Peak P ak P ak TDPeak Total Stretching N cking g/m²/ Hydr head Strain Load Strain LoadSample Draw Draw Draw 24 hr mbar % lb. (kg) % lb. (kg) C1 5.0X 5.0X 1.0X2799 353 35.7 25.62  92.2 5.11 (11.62) (2.32) C2 3.6X 3.6X 1.0X 1759 26566.4 23.36 100.8 6.16 (10.59) (2.79) 3 3.9X 3.6X 1.1X 1004 316 65.626.33 100.0 6.15 (11.94) (2.79) 4 4.3X 3.6X 1.2X  886 437 69.1 30.75 95.0 6.01 (13.95) (2.73) 5 4.6X 3.6X 1.3X 1474 383 65.2 33.32 126.95.43 (15.11) (2.46) 6 5.0X 3.6X 1.4X 1213 454 55.6 44.07 197.8 4.99(19.99) (2.26) 7 5.2X 3.6X 1.45X — 383 48.8 35.01 144.3 5.46 (15.88)(2.48) 8 5.2X 3.6X 1.45X 1140 387 56.0 40.20 141.2 4.70 (18.23) (2.13)

[0072] Sample 6 had the highest TD peak strain. In this laminate, thefilm layer has been drawn a total of 5.0X, which is typical drawing forsuch articles. The laminate has additionally been necked by a 1.4X draw.The film layer of Sample C1 has also been drawn a total of 5.0X, but thelaminate has not been necked at all. Even though the film layers havebeen drawn by the same amount, the example of the present invention,Sample 6, has a much greater TD peak strain than the comparativeexample, which is an indication of the improvement of the transverseextensibility and retractability of the present invention. FIGS. 11 and12 graphically illustrate load versus extension curves for samples C1and 6, while FIGS. 14-15 graphically illustrate enlarged curves of loadversus extension curves for these samples.

[0073] Table 3 below represents necked width in inches (cm) as afunction of percent stretch and shows how readily the necked laminateselongated in the transverse direction for each of the samples ofTable 1. From the tensile strength test above, the force in pounds(kilograms) was recorded below in Table 2 for each sample at 30%, 60%,90%, 120%, 150%, and 180% to break. The laminates which had been neckedto a narrower width (Samples 5, 6, 8; Table #3 “Laminated Necked Width”column) elongated at a much less force at the same % elongation than thecontrol and to a much greater extent before breaking. If the samplebroke either on or before the percent step change, it has beendesignated as “--”. TABLE 2 Sample 30% 60% 90% 120% 150% 180% C1 2.51(1.14) 4.21 (1.91) 5.05 (2.29) — C2 3.16 (1.43) 5.05 (2.29) 6.02 (2.73)— 3 2.74 (1.24) 4.88 (2.21) 5.88 (2.67) — 4 2.78 (1.26) 4.89 (2.22) 5.92(2.69) — 5 1.30 (0.59) 2.84 (1.29) 4.41 (2.00) 5.27 (2.39) — 6 0.60(0.27) 1.28 (0.58) 2.13 (0.97) 3.22 (1.46) 4.09 (1.86) 4.73 (2.15) 71.51 (0.68) 2.78 (1.26) 4.18 (1.90) 5.06 (2.30) 5.38 (2.44) — 8 1.21(0.55) 2.33 (1.06) 3.42 (1.55) 3.89 (1.76) 4.47 (2.03) —

[0074] Table 3 additionally shows the calculated % TheoreticalExtensibility as described above for each of the samples of Table 1.TABLE 3 Laminate Necked Width % Original % Theoretical Sample in. (cm)Width Extensibility C1 12⅜ (31.43) 100 0 C2 12¼ (31.12) 99 1 3 11½(29.21) 93 7.5 4 10¾ (27.31) 87 15 5 8¾ (22.23) 71 41 6 7½ (19.05) 61 658 6⅜ (16.19) 51 94

[0075] The breathability was measured by WVTR for the necked laminatewhen it was in the TD extended configuration, since this is theconfiguration it would have when in use as for instance in a diaper.Three repetitions of Sample 6 were extended 100% and 166% and tested forWVTR. The results were as follows in Table 4. TABLE 4 WVTR Sample 6g/m²/24 hr Unstretched (from Table 1 above) 1213 100% extended 3960 166%extended 4250

[0076] To better describe the TD extensibility of the film layer, forSamples C1 and 6 above, the film layer was delaminated from the spunbondlayer for a further test. Prior to delamination, a length of 3 inches(7.62 cm) was marked on the film side of the laminate across the TD. Thedelamination was conducted by completely immersing and soaking thelaminate in denatured ethyl alcohol (ethanol) which softened andpartially dissolved the adhesive bonding between the film layer andspunbond layer, such that the striated rugosities of the film layer werenot removed, damaged, or otherwise distorted. Once delaminated, the filmlayer was tested in a tensile tester as described above and the forcewas measured when the film layer had been extended by 0.3 inches (0.762cm) (10% strain). The force required to extend Sample C1 (the average ofthree repetitions) was approximately 1000 grams per mil of the filmlayer thickness. The force required to extend Sample 6 (the average ofthree repetitions), on the other hand, was approximately 60 grams permil of the film layer thickness, which was the thickness determined withthe striated rugosities flattened out.

Example 2

[0077] Additional laminates were prepared as described above, exceptthat a non-elastic adhesive was used in some samples and that somesamples were heated while being necked. The modifications were made toevaluate the impact of: 1) using a non-elastic adhesive as compared withthe semi-elastic adhesive used above, and 2) heating th laminate duringthe necking process. For each sample, the non-elastic film layer wasstretched to 4X its length prior to lamination to the spunbond layer.The laminates were necked as indicated in Table 5 and tested forpermanent set as described above. The non-elastic adhesive used wasRextac 2730, available from Huntsman Polymers in Odessa, Tex. Further,the samples that were heated after necking were contacted with heatedrolls maintained at a temperature of about 170° F. (76° C.).

[0078] A 10 cm×10 cm (3.94 in.×3.94 in.) sample was measured while thelaminate was still wound on a roll. Since the materials were wound undertension and some degree of relaxation tends to occur over time, thesamples were re-measured after being cut from the roll. Samples C9 andC10 are comparative (baseline) materials wherein the film was stretchedbut the laminate was not necked. TABLE 5 Sample Sampl Size Laminat SizAfter P rmanent N cking Actual Adhesiv H at Measur d R laxati n SetSample Draw Draw Type Appli d cm (in.) cm (in.) cm (in.) C9 1.1X 1.03XNon-elastic No 10 × 10 10 × 10 — (3.94 × 3.94) (3.94 × 3.94) C10 1.1X1.03X Semi-elastic No 10 × 10 10 × 10 — (3.94 × 3.94) (3.94 × 3.94) 111.43X 1.32X Non-elastic No 10 × 10   10 × 12.2 3.45 (3.94 × 3.94) (3.94× 4.80) (1.36) 12 1.4X 1.28X Semi-elastic No 10 × 10  9.6 × 11.6 3.63(3.94 × 3.94) (3.78 × 4.57) (1.43) 13 1.45X 1.3X Semi-elastic No 10 × 10 9.5 × 11.8 3.63 (3.94 × 3.94) (3.74 × 4.65) (1.43) 14 1.5X 1.36XSemi-elastic Yes 10 × 10   10 × 10.5 3.56 (3.94 × 3.94) (3.94 × 4.13)(1.40) 15 1.45X 1.3X Non-elastic Yes 10 × 10   10 × 10.3 3.66 (3.94 ×3.94) (3.94 × 4.06) (1.44) 16 1.45X 1.3X Non-elastic No 10 × 10   10 ×11.25 3.66 (3.94 × 3.94) (3.94 × 4.43) (1.44)

[0079] The heat set materials, Samples 14 and 15, maintained theiroriginal dimensions better than the materials that were necked and notheat set, based on a comparison between the sample size before and aftercutting from the roll. Further, all of the materials, regardless of useof elastic or inelastic adhesive, exhibited a high degree of permanentset, indicating that the materials retract upon release of a biasingforce applied in the transverse dimension. There was little differencebetween the permanent set of the laminates made with the semi-elasticadhesive and those made with the inelastic adhesive, indicating that thesmall amount of elastic adhesive used does not bear on the overallextensibility and retractability of the nonwoven web laminate.

[0080] The samples were additionally tested for tensile properties inthe transverse dimension (TD) and WVTR according to the test methodsdescribed above. The results are summarized in Table 6. TABLE 6 TD Loadat 50% TD Peak Unstretched Actual Adhesive Heat Elongation TD Peak LoadWVTR Sample Draw Type Applied lb. (kg) Strain % lb. (kg) g/m²/24 hr C91.03X Non- No 5.73 62.5 6.24 1667 elastic (2.60) (2.83) C10 1.03XElastic No 4.85 89.7 6.15 2121 (2.20) (2.79) 11 1.32X Non- No 0.0904 1754.56 1272 elastic (0.041) (2.07) 12 1.28X Elastic No 0.375 201 4.72 1222(0.170) (2.14) 13 1.3X Elastic No 0.617 212 4.78  903 (0.280) (2.17) 141.36X Elastic Yes 0.419 192 3.57 1482 (0.190) (1.62) 15 1.3X Non- Yes0.375 174 3.37 1400 elastic (0.170) (1.53) 16 1.3X Non- No 0.190 1744.52 N/A elastic (0.086) (2.05)

[0081] When the samples were elongated 50%, the control (un-necked)materials, Samples C9 and C10, exhibited a significantly higher loadthan the necked materials, Sample 11-16, indicating that a much greaterforce was needed to extend the control samples in the transversedimension.

[0082] Having thus described the invention in detail, it should beapparent that various modifications can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A necked laminate comprising: a) at least one layer of anon-elastic neckable material; b) at least one layer of a non-elasticfilm; and c) a means of attaching said non-elastic neckable material tosaid non-elastic film to form a laminate,  wherein said laminate isnecked in a first dimension and wherein said film layer has striatedrugosities in a dimension perpendicular to said first dimension.
 2. Thenecked laminate of claim 1, wherein a biasing force applied to saidfirst dimension of said laminate will cause said laminate to extend, andrelease of the biasing force will cause said laminate to retract.
 3. Thenecked laminate of claim 1, wherein said striated rugosities comprisetrapezoidal, crenellated, or pleated striations.
 4. The necked laminateof claim 1, wherein said means of attaching comprises point bonding,thermal point bonding, adhesive bonding, or sonic welding.
 5. The neckedlaminate of claim 4, wherein said means of attaching is adhesivebonding.
 6. The necked laminate of claim 1, wherein said first dimensionis defined by a transverse dimension and said perpendicular dimension isdefined by a longitudinal dimension.
 7. The necked laminate of claim 1,wherein said laminate is breathable.
 8. The necked laminate of claim 1,wherein said non-elastic neckable material has a basis weight of fromabout 0.3 osy (10 gsm) to about 2.7 osy (90 gsm).
 9. The necked laminateof claim 1, wherein said neckable material or said non-elastic filmcomprises a polyolefin.
 10. The necked laminate of claim 1 or 9, whereinsaid neckable material comprises a spunbond nonwoven material.
 11. Aconformable laminate for use in a garment comprising: a) at least onelayer of a non-elastic neckable material; b) at least one layer of anon-elastic film; and c) a means of attaching said non-elastic neckablematerial to said non-elastic film to form a laminate,  wherein saidlaminate is necked in a first dimension and wherein said film layer hasstriated rugosities in a dimension perpendicular to said firstdimension, such that a biasing force applied to said first dimension ofsaid laminate will cause said laminate to extend and conform around thebody of the wearer.
 12. The conformable laminate of claim 11, whereinsaid striated rugosities comprise trapezoidal, crenellated, or pleatedstriations.
 13. The conformable laminate of claim 11, wherein said meansof attaching comprises thermal point bonding, point bonding, adhesivebonding, or sonic welding.
 14. The conformable laminate of claim 13,wherein said means of attaching is adhesive bonding.
 15. The conformablelaminate of claim 11, wherein said first dimension is defined by atransverse dimension and said perpendicular dimension is defined by alongitudinal dimension.
 16. The conformable laminate of claim 11,wherein said non-elastic neckable material has a basis weight of fromabout 0.3 osy (10 gsm) to about 2.7 osy (90 gsm).
 17. The conformablelaminate of claim 1, wherein said laminate is breathable.
 18. Theconformable laminate of claim 11, wherein said laminate forms at least aportion of a personal care absorbent article.
 19. The conformablelaminate of claim 11, 17 or 18, wherein said laminate forms at least aportion of an outer cover for a personal care absorbent article.
 20. Theconformable laminate of claim 11, wherein said laminate forms at least aportion of a protective garment.
 21. The conformable laminate of claim11 or 20, wherein said laminate forms at least a portion of a facemask.22. The necked laminate of claim 11, wherein said neckable material orsaid non-elastic film comprises a polyolefin.
 23. The necked laminate ofclaim 11 or 22, wherein said neckable material comprises a spunbondnonwoven material.
 24. A method for making a necked laminate comprising:a) providing a non-elastic neckable material; b) providing a non-elasticfilm layer; c) attaching said non-elastic neckable material to saidnon-elastic film to form a laminate; and d) stretching said laminate ina first dimension to neck said laminate in a dimension perpendicular tosaid first dimension,  such that said striated rugosities are formed insaid non-elastic film layer in said perpendicular dimension.
 25. Themethod of claim 24, further comprising partially stretching saidnon-elastic film layer prior to formation of the laminate to render saidfilm layer in the laminate breathable.
 26. The method of claim 25,wherein said non-elastic film layer contains from about 20% to about 45%by volume of filler.
 27. The method of claim 25, wherein said laminatehas a WVTR of at least about 1000 g/m²/24 hours.
 28. The method of claim24, further comprising heating said laminate.
 29. The method of claim24, wherein said step of attaching comprises adhesive bonding, thermalpoint bonding, point bonding, or sonic welding.
 30. The method of claim29, wherein said step of attaching is adhesive bonding.
 31. The neckedlaminate of claim 24, wherein said laminate is stretched to about 1.2 toabout 1.6 times its original length.
 32. A breathable, conformablelaminate for use in a garment, comprising: a) at least one layer of anon-elastic neckable spunbond material having a basis weight of fromabout 0.3 osy (10 gsm) to about 0.7 osy (24 gsm); b) at least one layerof a non-elastic film containing from about 20% to about 45% by volumeof filler; and a means of attaching said non-elastic neckable spunbondmaterial to said non-elastic film to form a laminate with a WVTR of atleast about 1000 g/m²/24 hr,  wherein said laminate is necked in a firstdimension to about 30% to about 80% of its original width, and whereinsaid film layer has striated rugosities in a dimension perpendicular tosaid first dimension, such that a biasing force applied to said firstdimension of said laminate will cause said laminate to extend andconform around the body of the wearer.
 33. A conformable laminate foruse in a garment, comprising: a) at least one layer of a non-elasticneckable spunbond material having a basis weight of from about 0.3osy.(1.0 gsm) to about 0.7 osy (24 gsm); b) at least one layer of anon-elastic film; c) a means of attaching said non-elastic neckablespunbond material to said non-elastic film to form a laminate,  whereinsaid laminate is necked in a first dimension to about 30% to about 80%of its original width, and wherein said film layer has striatedrugosities in a dimension perpendicular to said first dimension, suchthat a biasing force applied to said first dimension of said laminatewill cause said laminate to extend and conform around the body of thewearer..
 34. An extensible and retractable sheet layer comprising anon-elastic film layer, wherein said non-elastic film has striatedrugosities in a first dimension such that said film will extend in adimension perpendicular to said first dimension when a biasing force isapplied in said perpendicular dimension and will retract upon release ofthe biasing force.